How to Add Exceptions to Your Phone’s Do Not Disturb Mode (and Why You Absolutely Need To)
Putting your phone away or, God forbid, turning it off completely may be an unwise option to minimize screen time. What if an emergency occurs? What if someone really needs to contact you? Fortunately, you don’t really need to use all or nothing. An alternative is to turn on Do Not Disturb on your phone, but add exceptions so that certain contacts can contact you when needed. This can come in handy in case of health problems, or if you are just waiting for a friend or child to arrive safely.
With this approach, you won’t get a bunch of unwanted notifications, but you also won’t have to constantly pick up the phone to see what you missed. Here’s how to set up who can fight their way through Do Not Disturb mode.
How to Add Do Not Disturb Exceptions on iOS
To add a specific person as an exception, open their contact in the Phone app ( Phone> Contacts ). Click ” Change” in the upper right corner. Scroll to the Ringtone and Text Ringtone options. Choose which one you want the person to be able to use in Do Not Disturb mode (or both) and enable emergency bypass on the next screen.
If that person calls or texts you while your phone is in silent or do not disturb mode, your device will ring loudly and vibrate.
To turn on Do Not Disturb mode on iOS, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen and tap the moon icon. You can also set up a schedule – for example, if you want this mode to turn on automatically at night – in Phone settings > Do not disturb .
How to Add Do Not Disturb Exceptions on Android
Setting up an interrupt on your Android may differ slightly depending on the device, but in general you can do it under Settings> Sound & Vibration> Do Not Disturb . Click People under “What May Interfere with Do Not Disturb” and select exceptions. You can allow calls and / or messages from specific contacts or repeat calls, as well as specific conversations.
To turn on Do Not Disturb on Android, swipe down and tap the Do Not Disturb icon. As in the case of iOS, you can also set a specific schedule and exceptions under “Settings”> “Sound and Vibration”> “Do Not Disturb” mode or in “Before going to bed.”